CBS poll puts Obama at 45% job approval

posted at 3:36 pm on September 16, 2010 by Ed Morrissey

CBS finds that Barack Obama’s job approval numbers are “mixed,” but that has more to do with the usual CBS sampling follies than it does with any actual rebound in Obama’s numbers. Obama gets a 45/47 in their latest survey of registered voters, but does worse on the issues, especially the issue that concerns Americans most as the midterm elections approach:

Americans have mixed feelings about President Obama’s job performance, a new CBS News/ New York Times pollshows, with 45 percent saying they approve and 47 percent saying they disapprove. However, disapproval does not mean disappointment — most Americans say that Mr. Obama’s performance in office is what they expected.

Yet on the issue of the economy, which Americans perceive as the top problem facing the country, the president receives wider criticism. Mr. Obama’s approval rating on the economy stands at just 41 percent. Another 51 percent of Americans disapprove.

Six in 10 Americans think Mr. Obama has not made progress fixing the economy, and a majority (53 percent) thinks he does not have a clear plan for creating jobs.

They also have this puzzling statistic:

Although Americans are unhappy with the direction of the country and the economy, 63 percent say Mr. Obama’s performance in office has been about what they expected, according to the poll, conducted Sept. 10-14.

Let’s review the sample. The poll uses both general population and registered voter screening. Among the general population,the CBS sample found a partisan split of 8.5 points favoring Democrats — which they promptly fixed by making the gap larger, to almost 10 p0ints. Among registered voters, they found a gap of 7.9 points, which they addressed by subtracting enough Democrats and independents to get it to a 6.7 point gap:

Gen

Unw

Upct

Wei

WPct

Rep

261

26.4%

248

25.1%

Dem

346

34.9%

345

34.8%

Ind

383

38.7%

397

40.1%

990

990

Reg

Rep

247

28.0%

224

28.8%

Dem

316

35.9%

276

35.5%

Ind

318

36.1%

277

35.6%

881

777

Gen

Unw

Upct

Wei

WPct

Rep

261

26.4%

248

25.1%

Dem

346

34.9%

345

34.8%

Ind

383

38.7%

397

40.1%

990

990

Reg

Rep

247

28.0%

224

28.8%

Dem

316

35.9%

276

35.5%

Ind

318

36.1%

277

35.6%

881

777

Bear in mind that Barack Obama won the national popular vote by seven points in 2008, at the peak of Democratic Party popularity. The most recent Gallup survey shows Democrats with a three-point national registration advantage, and that’s only when leaners are included. These sample splits are absurd as anything CBS has produced thus far in the Obama era.

Not that it helps. Republicans still win the generic Congressional ballot question, 40/38, even with the handicap CBS gives the Democrats. Among independents, that gap opens to nine points for Republicans, 35/26, with a third of independents still unsure of how they’ll vote.

On Obama himself, the numbers look even worse. As noted by CBS, the overall numbers on the economy are 41/51. However, 60% say he has made no progress in fixing the economy, not exactly a vote of confidence in Democratic leadership seven weeks prior to the midterms. Only 38% believes he has a clear plan for job creation, while 53% say he doesn’t. Only 30% think the $787 billion stimulus plan improved the economy, with 20% thinking it made things worse and 46% saying it had no impact at all. ObamaCare still has double-digit opposition, 49/37.

One last question: why is CBS not using a likely-voter screen, especially on the generic Congressional ballot? Maybe they can’t tweak a sample that specific.

Although Americans are unhappy with the direction of the country and the economy, 63 percent say Mr. Obama’s performance in office has been about what they expected, according to the poll, conducted Sept. 10-14.

WASHINGTON – The rate of illegal drug use rose last year to the highest level in nearly a decade, fueled by a sharp increase in marijuana use and a surge in ecstasy and methamphetamine abuse, the government reported Wednesday.

Although Americans are unhappy with the direction of the country and the economy, 63 percent say Mr. Obama’s performance in office has been about what they expected

This is like saying that husbands are generally unhappy with the direction of their marriages and that over half of them say that it is going just about how they expected it to go after less than two years.

Down to 45 percent. That means for the last six months Zero has probably dropped a good six points from 45 percent down to 45 percent. Plus, if things get any worse for Obama then CBS is predicting his approval could plummet even further to 45 percent.

…. with 45 percent saying they approve and 47 percent saying they disapprove. However, disapproval does not mean disappointment — most Americans say that Mr. Obama’s performance in office is what they expected.

Yeah, I would have to agree with that. He’s doing pretty much everything that I expected an America-hating Marxist to do.

Go poll the good folks at the unemployment office. No, not the ones behinds the desk…the ones waiting in line.

Electrongod on September 16, 2010 at 3:46 PM

I wonder if the unemployment line is as long as the soup line these days? I betcha the limbo line or the wagyu beef lines are going to be pretty long up at the WH tonight or tomorrow night because they’re partyin’ like it’s 1999!!

RCP says it is likelies, hmm. But what’s with the 22% that are still undecided? Other likely voter polls only have that as between 4 and 15%. And the GOP does significantly better in those polls, indicating that CBS is leaving off a big chunk that are breaking hard towards Republicans.

with 45 percent saying they approve and 47 percent saying they disapprove. However, disapproval does not mean disappointment — most Americans say that Mr. Obama’s performance in office is what they expected.

That is gold. Yeah, maybe some true believers are getting what they expected but also us rightwingers are getting what we expected too.

45% = Proof that a large number of idiots still exists in the American population.
The 45% figure is also an indicator that there are still a large number of people out there who cannot admit they were wrong.

Although Americans are unhappy with the direction of the country and the economy, 63 percent say Mr. Obama’s performance in office has been about what they expected, according to the poll, conducted Sept. 10-14.

Are so many Americans masochists?

Not necessarily. I expected a disaster, and so far Giggles’ performance in offics is about what I expected.

Unfortunately, it looks like being the first black gives him around a 40% floor – 40% of the people will follow him into He11 if need be. It means beating him is going to require near perfection because there is little margin for error.

The first anything – black, catholic, woman, etc., is going to have a high floor.

When did the CBS/New York Times Poll ever have any credibilty except as a liberal propaganda tool? They are transparent in their total regard for the truth. I used to line the cat’s litterbox with the Times and even the cat wouldn’t piss on Sulzberger’s rag of a newspaper.

Hillary is a paler, shorter Obama with all the same familiar flaws and the same miniature skill set.

NoDonkey on September 16, 2010 at 4:14 PM

Hey, c’mon. Didn’t you hear how she single-handedly (maybe Chelsea helped a bit) took out all those Bosnian snipers and guys with RPG’s and nukes? Killed them all, she did, with her bare hands (ok, and a dessert fork). But she nobly gave her medals (Purple Cross, Medal of Honor, Olympic Gold in Ear-Wax Flicking, among others) to the poor and downtrodden.

Yep. Re the general imbeciles, the first question should have been ‘who is the president of the United States?’
That would have shaken out about half the imbeciles.

There are also a few percent in the 45% who will not say that they disapprove of a black president on the phone to a stranger. They are afraid of being called racist. That few percent might vote differently in the privacy of the voting booth.

Although Americans are unhappy with the direction of the country and the economy, 63 percent say Mr. Obama’s performance in office has been about what they expected, according to the poll, conducted Sept. 10-14.

In other words, even supporters expected very little from this affirmative-action POS.

Although Americans are unhappy with the direction of the country and the economy, 63 percent say Mr. Obama’s performance in office has been about what they expected, according to the poll, conducted Sept. 10-14.

Are so many Americans masochists?

Schadenfreude on September 16, 2010 at 3:41 PM

What was it that Bush called it? The soft bigotry of low expectations?